Spring deck for upholstered furniture



2 Sheets-Sheet 2 m T2. mg a M m 3m W m fiw M Jan. 14, 1964 R. o. lsAAcs SPRING nscx FOR UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE Filed Nov. 26, 1962 y r g I 1 V i. $1 x? i i i 7. a M, Z 6 1w f a. 1 r M m a 1 a z, w a i g i g i J i 1 Q w United States Patent 0 3,117,?74 SPRlNG DEK FOR UPHGLSTERED FURNITURE Robert 0. Isaacs, Joplin, Mo., assignor to Flex-G-Lators, Inc, Carthage, Mm, a corporation of Missouri Filed Nov. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 239,994 9 Claims. (Cl. 26780) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in furniture springing devices, and has particular reference to the underlying structure, usually called a spring deck, over which layers of padding material are applied in upholstered furniture.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision of a spring deck for upholstered furniture the degree of softness or yieldability of which may be readily adjusted to the preference of the user. Actually, while an individual user could make the adjustment, it is primarily contemplated that the decks will be sold to furniture manufacturers, either pro-adjusted in softness or firmness to meet each individual manufacturers specifications, or in such condition that each manufacturer may make the adjustment as desired.

Another object is the provision of a spring deck of the character described having a vertically yieldable forward edge, whereby to provide a softedge cushion, and wherein the yieldability of this forward edge is also adjustable, either concurrently with or independently from the adjustability of the overall yieldability of the deck. However, the invention is also applicable to hard-edge cushions in which padding is applied directly over a rigid frame member at the forward edge of the cushion.

Still another object is the provision of a spring deck of the character described in which the spring elements may be adjusted to be applied to furniture frames having different distances between the front and rear rails thereof, in order that the device may be applied to furniture of a greater range of sizes and styles. This adjustment may be carried out independently of the yieldability adjustments previously discussed.

Other objects are simplicity and economy of construction, efiiciency and dependability of operation, adaptability for use in thin-line cushions, which are cushions having a relatively small overall vertical dimension as required in certain furniture styles in current vogue and having relatively high legs, as compared to furniture having ery deep cushions and relatively short legs, and adaptability to produce a cushion having a fiat, planar surface, as compared to decks providing an upwardly bowed or convex surface as is usually the case with decks suitable for use in thin-line furniture.

With these objects in view, as well as other objects which will appear in the course of the specification, reference will be had to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the seat frame of a furniture piece, including a spring deck embodying the present invention, with the padding and upholstery layers omitted,

FIG. 2 is a slightly irregular sectional View taken on line -IIII of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line .HIHI of FIG. 1,

Like reference numerals to similar parts pp y EJEZTM Patented Jan. 14, 1984 ice throughout the several views, andthe numeral 2 applies generally to the seat frame of a furniture piece, said frame comprising a front rail 4, rear rail 6, and side rails 8, all rigidly connected in rectangular form, and made of wood or other suitable material. The total frame of course also usually includes a back frame, arms and legs, but these are not pertinent to the present invention and are not shown.

The spring deck forming the subject matter of the present invention includes a series of spring units it which are regularly spaced apart laterally of frame 2, and which extend forwardly and rearwardly of said frame. In the species of the invention shown in FIGS. 14, each of spring units 10 includes a front spring 12 and a rear spring 14, each of said springs consisting of a length of spring steel wire of square cross-sectional shape. Front spring 12 is provided at its forward end with a turned-down end portion 16 engaged in a hole 18 formed therefor in front frame rail 4. Adjacent said front rail, spring 12 has a pair of loops 20 formed therein, and a straight portion 22 extending horizontally rearwardly from said loops, but terminating forwardly of rear frame rail 5, said straight portion being disposed somewhat above the plane of the top of frame 2. Rear spring 14 is provided at its rearward end with a turneddown terminal portion 24 engaged in a hole 26 formed therefor in rear frame rail 6. Adjacent said rail, rear spring 14 has a pair of loops 2-8 formed therein similar to loops 2%} of the front spring, then a straight portion 39 extending forwardly in side-by-side contact with straight portion 22 of the front spring, then an upwardly angled portion 32 extending to a point generally spaced above front frame rail 4, and finally a terminal portion 34 bent horizontally at right angles to the general extent of the spring.

An elongated front padding support 36, which may also constitute a length of square spring wire, extends transversely across the forward edge of the deck, being secured to the terminal portion 34- of each rear spring 14 by any suitable means such as a clip 38. Also, the ends of member 36 are bent rearwardiy and secured to the sidemost springs '14 by clips ill. The straight portion 22 of front spring 12 and the straight portion 36 of rear spring 14 are secured together at spaced apart points by a pair of clips 42. As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, each of said clips is formed of sheet metal and is essentially tubular, being split along one side so that they may be spread apart to be engaged about the springs, then tightened by means of a suitable clamp-type tool, not shown, to hold the springs firmly together. FIG. 4 shows the clamp loose, and FIG. 3 shows it tightened. For reasons which will presently appear, it is desirable that clips 42 be adjustable along the springs by application of considerable force thereto, as by placing a bar against the end of a clip and hammering thereon, while at the same time the'clips should be sufficiently tight to prevent movement thereof on the springs due to forces caused by normal usage or 'flexure of the springs. For this purpose, each clip 42 may be provided with a liner 44 of soft, compressible plastic as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, or other suitably yieldable material. Not only do these liners provide the type of ad ustability just discussed, but also they .tend to prevent objectionable grinding or rubbing noises which might otherwise occur.

it will be understood that the straight portions 22 and 3% of springs 12 and 14, together with forward extensions 3Zof the springs .14, and front support 36, form the loadsupporting surfacelof the deck, and that suitable layers of padding are, in actual usage, appliedover this surface, the padding ordinarily being securedbya decorative fabric or the like applied over the padding, the edges of the fabric being rawn tight and tacked or otherwise secured to frame 2. Also, an insulator layer consisting of a wire-reinforced fabric may be inserted between the deck and the padding, to better distribute the load over the spring units if and to prevent the padding from working downwardly between the spring units. However, the insulator, padding and decorative fabric are not pertinent to the present invention, and are not shown.

The general overall yieldability of the deck is provided by downward flexure of the straight portions 22 and 3a) of the spring units, while yieldability of the forward edge of the deck, i.e. the soft-edge feature, is provided by front support spring 36, which is supported for downward yieldable movement toward front frame rail 4 by the forward extensions of rear springs 14. The loops 2t) and 28 of the springs, which could also be transverse offsets of other forms such as serpentine or generally Z-shaped bends, provide yieldable connections of the springs 12 and 14 to the frame, in that the main portions of said springs, or straight portions 22 and 39 thereof, are thereby rendered universally movable with respect to the frame. Thus downward ilexure of each spring unit, which necessitates an effective lengthening of the unit between its terminal connections to the frame at 16 and 24, may be accomplished without dislodging or moving the clips 42 relative to the springs 12 and '14 constituting said unit. Also, the loops or offsets 20 and 28 permit straight portions 22 and 39 to be fiexed without appreciable resistance from the end mountings of the springs at 16 and 24, relieve said end mountings of stresses caused by flexure of the springs, and provide a convenient method by which the straight portions of the springs may be disposed at any desired elevation above frame 2.

The central feature of the invention is the adjustability of clips 42 relative to the springs, and of the springs relative to the clips. This adjustability has at least four important functional results, as follows:

Firstly, by sliding straight portions 22 and 30 of springs 12 and 14 relative to each other in clips 42, the horizontal front-to-rear spacing between terminal portions 16 and 24 of the springs 12 and 14 may be varied, whereby to adjust the deck for use in frames wherein the spacing between front and rear rails 4 and 6 is different. Thus a single spring deck may be adapted for use in different styles and types of furniture. This adjustment of course moves front support member 36 either forwardly or rearwardly with respect to front frame rail 4, and this limits the degree to which this adjustment may be effected, since front support 36 must of course be disposed forwardly of rail 4. However, it has been found that in most furniture a variation of perhaps two inches in the distance which member 36 overhangs rail 4 is permissable, and a variation of two inches in the front-to-rear dimension of furniture seating frames includes most common types and styles of furniture.

Secondly, adjusting the distance between the two clips 42 by sliding them along spring portions 22 and 36 varies the overall firmness or softness of the deck. Flexure of the spring unit between clips 42 involves flexing of both springs, which is relatively diflicult, while flexing of the unit forwardly and rearwardly of the clips involves flexing of only a single spring, which is relatively easy. Thus, the greater the proportion of the total span of each spring unit included between clips 42, the greater the total overall resistance to flexure will be. As clips 42 are moved farther apart, the deck therefore becomes stiffer or firmer, and as clips 42 are moved closer toget er the deck becomes softer or more easily deflectable. In this connection, it will be noted that the square cross-sectional shape of the spring members provides that said spring members have planar mating surfaces which are held tightly together by clips 42. This prevents the spring members 22 and 39 from twisting torsionally about each other intermediate clips 42 as might otherwise occur.

While not essential, it is preferable that after the position of the rearward clip 42 has been finally determined, the portion of straight section 22-of front spring 12 which extends rearwardly from rearward clip '42 be cut off as serving no useful purpose.

Thirdly, by adjusting forward clip 42 along the spring unit, the length and hence the stiffness of the forward exensions of rear springs 14 carrying front support member 36 is varied. In this manner, the degree of yieldability of member 36 may be adjusted to change the yieldability of the forward edge of the deck, independently of the overall yieldability of the deck. It will be noted that the forward extensions of rear springs 14 are disposed at the side of rather than above the forward portion of spring 12, in order that the latter will not interfere with the vertical yieldability of the former. 'It is of course desirable that this adjustment be made before adjusting the spacing between clips 42. That is, front clip 42 is first adjusted to provide the desired yieldability of front support 36, and rear clips 42 are then spaced from the front clips to provide the desired overall yieldability of the deck.

Fourthly, clips 42 may be adjusted independently on each of spring units 10, and this permits a desirable patterning of the deck characteristics. For example, the clips 42 of the spring units at the central portion of the deck, which customarily must support the heaviest loads, may be set farther apart to provide greater stiffness and greater load-carrying capacity, while the clips 42 of units 10 at the sides of the chair, which ordinarily need support only relatively light loads, may be set closer together for easier yieldability. This tends to permit the entire deck to yield more Or less uniformly over its entire area despite the fact that it is loaded unevenly, and is often considered a desirable characteristic.

It is contemplated that the decks as described will be furnished to furniture manufacturers as shown, with clips 42 sufficiently tight to prevent accidental movement thereof in usage, but being movable by application of considerable external force thereto as previously described. In this manner, the clips either may be applied according to pre-determined specifications of each individual purchaser, or may be adjusted by the purchaser. As an alternative, if the purchasers requirements are definitely known, clips 42 could be permanently and immovably fixed in place. However, any commonly known method of making such permanent connections, such as welding or soldering, riveting, bolting, or crimping or other deformation of the spring elements, all involve loss of temper or other weakening of the spring steel members, and are hence objectionable. As another alternative, the deck could be furnished to the purchaser with clips 42 loose as shown in FIG. 4, so that the purchaser could easily make any adjustment desired before tightening said clips.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a slight modification of the structure shown in FIGS. 14, adapted for use in hard-edge cushions, or cushions in which, at the forward edge thereof, the padding is supported directly by the unyieldable frame. In this generally less expensive type of furniture, the load-supporting surface of the spring deck is fiush with the upper edge of the front frame rail. The modified structure is generally the same as that shown in FIGS. 1-4, corresponding parts being indicated by corresponding primed numerals, except that the forward ends of front springs 12' are provided with only a single loop 20 adjacent terminal end portion 16' thereof, and that straight portions 22' and 3% of springs 12' and 14 are disposed at the sarne elevation as the upper edge of front frame rail 4, and that the straight portion 30' of rear spring 14' of each spring unit 16 terminates at a point rearward of front frame rail 4', not being extended forwardly to carry a front support member 36 as in FIGS. 1-4. The rearward end of rear spring 14 could be attached to rear frame rail 6 in the same manner as the front spring is connected to front rail 4', with a single loop 28' and at the same level as spring portions 22 and 30', or as shown,

provided with a pair of vertically offset loops 28 in the same manner as in FIGS. 1-4, rear frame rail 6 being reduced in height for this purpose. The latter method provides greater depti of yieldability along the rearward edge of the deck, where the deflection is normally the greatest. In the species shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, clips d2 provide front-to-rear adjustment of the deck, adjustment or the overall yieldsty of the deck, and patterning of this overall yielda-bility, in the same manner as in PiGS. 1-4. This species rovides a greater adjustment of the front-to-rear dimensions of the deck than in PEGS. l4, since rnere is no front support 36 which must be maintained in proper relationship to front rail 4/. Also, in the FiGS. 5-6 species, it will be apparent that the portion of spring section 39 extending forwardly of front clip 32', as well as the portion of spring section 22 extending rearwardly from rear clip 42, should be cut oil when the position of said clips is finally determined. One advantage of this species over that shown in LA is that since the position of front 12 is not determined by the esired yieldability of a front support 3d as in FIGS. 1-4, the two clips may be moved equally without varyin the distance therebetween. In this manner, the stiifest portion of each spring unit, which is of course the double portion between the clips, may be positioned directly beneath that portion of the cushion which Carries the heaviest load. Usually this is the rearward portion.

While I have shown arid described a specific embodiment of my invention, it will be readily apparent that many minor changes of structure and operation could be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What i claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A spring deck for upholstered furniture comprising:

(a) a generally planar frame having a front rail and a rear rail rigidly associated in spaced apart relation, and

(Z2) a plurality of spring units spaced apart laterally of said frame, each of said spring units comprisin (i) an elongated resilient front spring yieldably attached at its forward end to said front rail and extending rearwardly therefrom,

(2) an elongated resilient rear spring yieldably attached at its rearward end to said rear rail and extending forwardly therefrom, said front and rear springs overlapping each other along portions of their lengths intermediate said front and rear rails, and

(3) means connecting said overlapping portions of said springs together, said connecting means being adjustable to vary the length of said overlapping portions connected thereby.

2. A spring deck as recited in claim 1 wherein said front and rear springs each have ofiscts formed therein adjacent their points of attachment to said frame rails,

6 whereby the portions of said springs adjacent said offsets are rendered universally yieldable with respect to said frame 3. A spring deck as recited in claim 1 wherein said connecting means comprises two connectors joining the overlapping portions of said springs, said connectors being adjustably movable along said overlapping spring portions whereby to vary the length of said overlapping spring portions disposed between said connectors.

4. A spring deck as recited in claim 3 wherein each of said connectors constitutes a ring clip clamped tightly about the overlapping portions of said sprin s, said clip being frictionally slidable along said springs.

5. A spring deck as recited in claim 1 wherein the overlapping portions of said springs are of non-circular crosssectional contour, having mating planar surfaces held in close contacting relation by said connecting means, whereby said springs are prevented from twisting torsionally about each other as the overlapping portions thereof are flexed downwardly by a load applied to said deck.

6. A spring deck as recited in claim 1 wherein the rear spring of each of said spring units is extended forwardly to a position spaced generally above said front frame rail, and with the addition of:

(a) an elongated resilient support member extending transversely of said spring units and attached to the forward ends of all of said rear springs, whereby to form a vertically yieldable support for padding at the forward edge of said deck.

7. A spring deck as recited in claim 6 wherein said connecting means is adjustable along the overlapping portions of said springs, whereby to vary the spacing thereof from said support member.

8. A spring deck as recited in claim 6 wherein said connecting means is adjustable along the overlapping portions of said springs, whereby to vary the spacing thereof from said support member, and wherein the overlapping portions of said springs are disposed in horizontal juxtaposition, whereby the portions of said rear springs extending forwardly from said connecting means may be flexed in a vertical plane without interference from said front spring.

9. A spring deck as recited in claim 6 wherein said connecting means comprises a pair of connectors joining the overlapping portions of the front and rear springs of each spring unit, said connectors of each unit being independently adjustable along the overlapping portions of the associated springs, whereby both to adjust the spacing between said connectors, and also to adjust the spacing of the forwardmost connector from said front support.

rails. 

1. A SPRING DECK FOR UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE COMPRISING: (A) A GENERALLY PLANAR FRAME HAVING A FRONT RAIL AND A REAR RAIL RIGIDLY ASSOCIATED IN SPACED APART RELATION, AND (B) A PLURALITY OF SPRING UNITS SPACED APART LATERALLY OF SAID FRAME, EACH OF SAID SPRING UNITS COMPRISING: (1) AN ELONGATED RESILIENT FRONT SPRING YIELDABLY ATTACHED AT ITS FORWARD END TO SAID FRONT RAIL AND EXTENDING REARWARDLY THEREFROM, (2) AN ELONGATED RESILIENT REAR SPRING YIELDABLY ATTACHED AT ITS REARWARD END TO SAID REAR RAIL AND EXTENDING FORWARDLY THEREFROM, SAID FRONT AND REAR SPRINGS OVERLAPPING EACH OTHER ALONG PORTIONS OF THEIR LENGTHS INTERMEDIATE SAID FRONT AND REAR RAILS, AND (3) MEANS CONNECTING SAID OVERLAPPING PORTIONS OF SAID SPRINGS TOGETHER, SAID CONNECTING MEANS BEING ADJUSTABLE TO VARY THE LENGTH OF SAID OVERLAPPING PORTIONS CONNECTED THEREBY. 